When the Thames froze over in the winter of 1739/40, as was customary an impromptu fair was held on the ice. This engraving depicts a ‘Frost Fare Coffie House’ and a ‘Friezland Coffee house’ among the temporary booths. 🧊☕️❄️

I got my first piece of online hate today, how exciting 👀

Does anyone else physically cringe when they read back a first draft? #phdlife

Obviously, I’ve been doing Christmas decorating all wrong.

This thread is the best thing I've ever read

Very excited to be presenting at UEA!

It’s execution day for Sir Walter Raleigh 😳 #OTD in 1618, the famous explorer from Elizabeth I's reign was taken from the Tower and executed. Chief Curator Tracy Borman reflects on the life and death of the controversial yet charismatic adventurer 👉 bit.ly/walter-raleigh…

I'd be looking this stressed if I lived in the 15th century

The House of Faberge made 52 "Imperial" eggs as Easter gifts for Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II to give to their wives and moms. 46 of these survive. I will rank all 46 Imperial Faberge eggs.

Listing 'vices of the sea' described by Cotton Mather as "swearing, whoring, gambling, cursing, drinking, cursing, and lewdness" before realising I put "cursing" twice... Cue me imagining a sailor explaining to Mather "That's 'cos we do twice as much cursing as we do drinking."

Some African elephants from a 1654 atlas

Four small, beautifully presented prayers, written in English, Spanish and Dutch. Each was created by a sailor or a passenger aboard a ship c.1740-c.1790 and they provide an intriguing glimpse of religion at sea. Is there a name for presenting prayers this way?

A very busy map of Lapland from 1572, showing lots of reindeer and some fairly dangerous looking creatures! #Christmas #Reindeer #maps #rarebooks

Xoloitzcuintle, an Aztec dog native to Mexico. It is one of oldest races that inhabit with more than 7000 years. For Aztecs, this canine was very special and respected for being a gift from god Xolotl to be a guide for souls of deceased who traveled to Mictlán or underworld.

Starting in half an hour!

one for cat historians

around the year 1500, medieval painter hieronymus bosch drew a person with sheet music written on their butt being tortured in hell. 500 years later, someone decided to transcribe and play the song. now, you can hear it too!